The Atom Unexplored conference, Turin, 4 May 2012

The European Key Role in the Design, Construction and Operation of

ITER

Doug Bartlett

Directorate K - “Energy”DG Research and Innovation

European Commission

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Outline

• What is fusion and why do we want it?

• How do we get there?

• Introduction to ITER

• The European contributions to ITER:

• research programme and expertise,

• components provided in-kind

• Summary and present status of ITER

E=mcE=mc22

Deuterium

Tritium

Helium

neutron

+ Energy

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Fusion – where are we going?

Reactor

conditions

1) Basic physics

E=mcE=mc22

Deuterium

Tritium

Helium

neutron

+ Energy2) Physics and

technology R&D

3) Power station!

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Fusion as a potential energy source Fuels

abundant and distributed world-wide Safety, waste, the environment

no transport of radioactive fuel for normal operation, no meltdown accidents

waste not a burden for future generations (less than 100 years radiotoxicity)

no CO2 emissions Scale

potential for production of baseload electricity (and hydrogen)

Economics and social acceptability difficult to make long term predictions, but studies show

promising results4

Fusion – how do we get there?

JET ITER DEMOPowerStation

Emergingtechnology

Technologydevelopment

Futuredevices

Otherdevices

Theory &Modelling How do we

organise all this?

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ITER - Overview The ITER tokamak is the essential

next step to demonstrate the scientific and technical feasibility of fusion power

A joint international project hosted by Europe in Cadarache, France

o 7 partners: China, EU, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia, USA

o Almost all components will be provided “in-kind” by the partners

o An international organisation, staffed by the partners

The EU has a special responsibility as the ITER host, is the largest contributor, and has a leading role

Europe has created an organisation (called F4E) with the role of providing all its contributions to ITER 6

The aims of ITER Produce and study burning plasmas at

an energy multiplication factor of 10 for about 400 sec

Aim at producing steady-state burning plasma

Demonstrate the availability and integration of essential fusion reactor technologies

Test components for a future reactor including tritium breeding module concepts

The first tokamak, T1 (1968)

ITER

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European contributions to ITER

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The EURATOM Fusion Programme• European fusion research is partly funded

under the EU's Framework Programmes for Research and Innovation

• The objective in the present programme is:“Developing the knowledge base for, and realising ITER as the major step towards, the creation of prototype reactors for power stations which are safe, sustainable, environmentally responsible, and economically viable”

• The programme is fully integrated at the European level, characterised by:o overall co-ordination by the European Commission,o extensive collaborationso large joint projects

Without this, ITER might not have been possible9

Organisation of the R&D programme

• The European Commission (Euratom)

• programme management and steering

• some of the funding

• Euratom Fusion Associations

• 26 “Contracts of Association” between Euratom and EU member states (plus Switzerland) fusion R&D in these laboratories

• EFDA (The European Fusion Development Agreement)

• An agreement between all the Associations and Euratom to support co-ordinated and collective activities

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Euratom - TEKES (1995)Finland (incl. Estonia)

Euratom - DCU (1996) Ireland

Euratom - ÖAW (1996)Austria

Eur - Hellenic Rep (1999) Greece (incl. Cyprus)

Euratom - IPP.CR (1999)Czech Rep.

Euratom - HAS (1999)Hungary

Euratom – MEdC (1999) Romania

Euratom – Univ. Latvia Latvia (2002)

Euratom - IPPLM (2005)Poland

Euratom - MHEST (2005)Slovenia

Euratom – CU (2007)Slovakia

Euratom – INRNE (2007)Bulgaria

Euratom – LEI (2007)Lithuania

Euratom - CEA (1958)France

Euratom – ENEA (1960)Italy (incl. Malta)

Euratom - IPP (1961)Germany

Euratom - FOM (1962)The Netherlands

Euratom - FZJ (1962)Germany

Euratom - Belgian State Belgium (1969)(incl. Luxembourg)

Euratom - RISØ (1973)Denmark

Euratom – UKAEA (1973)United Kingdom

Euratom - VR (1976)Sweden

Euratom - Conf. SuisseSwitzerland (1979)

Euratom - FZK (1982)Germany

Euratom –CIEMAT (1986) Spain

Euratom – IST (1990)Portugal

Distributed R&D 26 Associations

JET

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JET, the Joint European Torus

JET is closer in size to ITER than any other tokamak

It has a plasma shape similar to ITER

It is the only tokamak in the world able to operate with the fusion fuel tritium which will be used in ITER

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A major upgrade of JET in support of ITER Carbon is usually used for interior

components with a high heat load

But, carbon absorbs hydrogen - not good when tritium fuel is to be used

Tungsten is the best substitute - refractory and does not absorb tritium

ITER is likely to abandon carbon for the startup phase and go straight to tungsten - a large cost saving

There are important issues to be resolved in operation of a tokamak with an all-metal wall and divertor

A major upgrade of JET

Interior of the JET vacuum vessel

Installation of components using remote handling technology

Divertor tiles 13

Toroidal Field CoilNb3Sn, 18 coils

Central SolenoidNb3Sn, 6 modules

Blanket Module421 modules

Vacuum Vessel9 sectors

Additional HeatingIC, EC, NBI

Inner Divertor54 cassettes

+ Diagnostics Remote Handling Tritium Plant Pumping/Fuelling

Power Supplies…Person

Some ITER components provided by the EU

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Neutral Beam Test Facility Plasma heating in ITER will include

the injection of powerful beams of high energy hydrogen atoms ("neutral beams")

ITER needs a level of particle energy (1 MeV) and total beam power (33MW) with a pulse duration up to 3600 seconds

Such very demanding specifications have never been achieved before

Europe is building the Test Facility to develop prototypes of these neutral beam sources and to test the production versions

This major facility builds on the world class expertise of Europe in this field.

It is being built in Padua (IT)

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Summary of the European role in ITEREurope is the biggest player in ITER:

•Europe contributes 45% of the construction cost, mainly through the provision, "in-kind", of components (including many of the most critical, such as the nuclear buildings)

•To support a revised "baseline design" of the project, the Council of the EU approved EU funding for ITER construction of €6.6B

•Europe provides the largest proportion of the staff of the ITER International Organisation

•The European fusion research programme has provided major inputs to the ITER design (experimental data, expertise) and continues to contribute to planning operational scenarios

•If we maintain a vigorous R&D programme, European researchers will have the major role in ITER exploitation

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What has been happening

recently on the ground at the

ITER site

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Progress on the ITER site

The site in September 2011

Artist’s impression of the completed facility

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The pit where ITER will be located

On top of the columns are the anti-seismic bearings which will support the nuclear buildings - a total weight of 360,000 tonnes (equivalent to a very large skyscraper)

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The Poloidal Field coil buildingSome of the superconducting magnetic coils are too large to transport (18m diameter) and will be fabricated on-site in this building

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